Foreclosure starts up slightly; completed foreclosures fall

Foreclosure starts in Worcester County increased slightly in October, while completed foreclosures dropped more than 50 percent, the Warren Group reported today.

The number of foreclosures initiated rose from 213 in October 2011 to 215 in October 2012. Deeds, the last step in the foreclosure process, fell from 157 to 78.

Statewide, foreclosure petitions increased 22 percent - much more than the county level - which could be cause for concern, the Warren Group said. But deeds statewide fell 52 percent, to the lowest point since February 2007.

Timothy M. Warren Jr., chief executive of the Boston-based Warren Group, called the decline another indicator of recovery in the housing market.